Lu Jiaxuan, carrying two bowls of corn porridge and two millet buns, heard the door open and was about to smile when someone ran out of the house. Before he could see clearly, another person ran out.
He was stunned for a moment, looking inside and then outside. Hearing Wang Guizhi's shouts, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Oh no, oh no, Mother, Mother, hurry, something's happened!"
He didn't even bother to go inside to check, and rushed to the main room.
Zhou Jiaojiao was still carrying half a pound of brown sugar. The second son, Lu Jiahe, his wife Wu Xianglan, and Liu Sanjin, among others, heard the shouts outside and hurriedly came out to see what was happening.
"Mom, something terrible has happened! My sister-in-law's parents suddenly ran out, shouting that the Lu family beat people up and that they'd drive my sister-in-law to her death, all because of... because of those three big brick houses."
Lu Jiaxuan said somewhat embarrassedly. When he and Zhou Jiaojiao got together, he had promised her a good life. When they got engaged, they had prepared a house. As the youngest son in the Lu family, his mother doted on him and had specially built him a large, south-facing house with all the best furniture.
But Jiaojiao's mother had her eye on his sister-in-law's three big brick houses. Those houses were spacious and bright, the best in the surrounding villages. But his older brother had paid for them, just so his sister-in-law and her children could live comfortably. He, a warehouse manager in the production team, didn't have the means to build a separate brick house and courtyard.
But Jiaojiao's mother was determined, and he and Jiaojiao had a good relationship. With the wedding approaching, he had no choice but to ask his mother for help. She suggested renting the house from his sister-in-law. He wasn't really sure about it, but to his surprise, his sister-in-law agreed.
He'd mentioned wanting the house back for the past six months, but his mother had always stopped him. Besides, they'd been paying rent, so he had no conscience.
Hearing Lu Jiaxuan's words, Zhou Jiaojiao's face paled, and she almost dropped the brown sugar in her hand. When she first came to the Lu family, she'd fallen in love with those three large tile-roofed houses. The houses the Lu family had built in their old courtyard were nice, but far inferior to brick houses. She'd lived there for over half a year, and every furnishing was a labor of love. Now, asking her to move out was out of the question.
"This is outrageous! I disagreed with the eldest son building a house from the start. If it weren't for the three yuan a month for his retirement, and his promise to live separately but not separate the family, I would never have agreed. Since Shen Meng came into the family, how have I mistreated her? Since we haven't separated the family, the house is for the fourth son, so let him live there. Let's see what the Shen family can do. Humph, come on, follow me to the eldest son's room, let's see what she's up to!"
Liu Sanjin finished his harsh words and walked out first. Wu Xianglan and Lu Jiahe quickly followed. They earned little work points and relied on their retirement money to eat well, so they had to take good care of their mother-in-law.
Zhou Jiaojiao was about to leave when she saw Xie Jinghao, who hadn't moved, paused slightly.
"Third Sister-in-law, aren't you coming with us?"
Xie Jinghao didn't even lift her eyelids, touching her belly as she said, "I'm not going. My belly is too big to walk easily, and Xiaogang will need to sleep later, so I won't get involved."
She wasn't going. The whole family thought Shen Meng was foolish and kept trying to fool her. She was already doing well enough to take care of her eldest brother's child and her own family; she wasn't going to be the villain.
Seeing her coldness, Zhou Jiaojiao forced a smile and pulled Lu Jiaxuan away. As long as it didn't interfere with her affairs, this way of getting along was fine.
While everyone was away, Shen Meng took out a bottle of saline solution from her spatial storage, drank half of it in one gulp, and then stuffed half a piece of cake into her mouth. Now, every time she swallowed, her forehead throbbed.
After regaining some strength, she took out a bottle of face cream and applied it to her face, making it appear naturally pale, like she was on her last legs.
Before the door opened, she quickly put everything back into her spatial storage.
Liu Sanjin, his face grim, was about to reprimand Shen Meng when he saw that she looked haggard, her face was deathly pale, and her lips had lost all color. She was completely different from the Shen Meng who had been carried into the house earlier, who was sharp-tongued and full of energy, cursing people.
Not only her, but Lu Jiaxuan, Zhou Jiaojiao, and the others who followed in were also startled. This...this looks like she's really about to die!
Wu Xianglan's heart skipped a beat. Meeting Shen Meng's gaze, she guiltily turned her head away, her body trembling with fear. She had come to take advantage of the situation, not to kill her sister-in-law. Look at that lifeless face! She had just met Shen Meng's gaze; she wondered if she would come to settle scores when the person was truly gone.
Thinking this, she lowered her head even further, filled with regret. She shouldn't have come. Her sister-in-law had been gored by a bull—a bull, no less! Even a man would be crippled if he didn't die, let alone a delicate old woman.
Shen Meng, watching their varied expressions, was quite satisfied with her expectations. Calculating the time, her father would soon be bringing the children back; it was time for her to perform.
"Mother, Jiaxuan, Jiaojiao, Jiahe, and Xianglan, what...what do you want to do?"
"Ah? I...nothing, sister-in-law, I didn't mean anything, I just came to see you, really." Wu Xianglan, who had been lost in her own thoughts, suddenly screamed in fright when she was called out.
Seeing that something was wrong, Zhou Jiaojiao, who had just managed to hold back two tears, was about to run over and cry on Shen Meng's body.
"My poor sister-in-law."
"Mingyang, Mingliang, Mingfang, and my Mingkai, Mingkai, where are you? I'm afraid I'm not going to make it, son, son, where are you? Let me see you one last time, I'm so sorry, my child, where are my child?"
The shrill cries instantly stopped Zhou Jiaojiao's words. The emotions she had just prepared were interrupted, and her expression, which was about to cry, froze on her face.
Outside, Shen Fugui was holding a child in each hand, followed by nine-year-old Mingyang and seven-year-old Mingliang. Hearing the crying from inside the house, the group stopped in their tracks.
"Hurry up, Mingkai, good boy, hurry inside and see your mother, or you won't see her one last time."
Lu Mingkai was the original owner's biological child. Although he endured the original owner's frequent beatings and scoldings, he was only three years old and still had a deep affection for the original owner. He immediately burst into tears.
Mingfang was six years old. Although she was young, she had done a lot of housework. She didn't have much affection for the original owner, but hearing that someone was going to die still frightened her.
As for Mingyang and Mingliang who followed behind, the two of them just exchanged a silent glance, their faces expressionless. They were thinking that it was good that the wicked old woman was dead, that it was clean and tidy.
Shen Meng was still crying. Fortunately, she had put in eye drops beforehand, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to cry.
"Mom, waah, Xiaokai doesn't want you to die, waah."
Shen Meng heard a child's cry, looked down, and almost cursed. Damn it, she recognized at a glance that this crying, cute little brat was her own child.